airtightness measurements

For an ideal building airtightness test, the pressure difference between inside and outside would be constant over time and uniform along the entire building envelope, so that each leakage is equally considered and that the test result does not depend on the test conditions. This is particularly challenging for high-rise buildings as they are more subject to strong stack effects: the temperature difference between inside and outside induces a pressure difference along the envelope directly proportional to its height.

To measure airtightness, large buildings (multi-family dwellings) require more time, personnel, and equipment than small buildings (single-family dwellings). However, this outlay is not due to stricter requirements relating to the envelope surface of larger buildings, but to the more complex structure (access, supply). Exterior envelope surfaces and interior joint faces make specific contributions to air permeability, depending on the selected design, location in the building...

Because of the major effects of wind and thermal conditions on high-rise buildings, when conducting blower door measurements special procedures must be followed. The standards EN 13829 and ISO 9972 do not provide sufficient guidance for this. This paper is intended as an aid for carrying out airtightness measurements...

The current French EP regulation called “RT 2012” imposes a maximum airtightness level2 of residential buildings envelope: 0.6 m3.h-1.m-2 for single-family houses and 1 m3.h-1.m-2 for multi- family buildings. The respect of these requirements must be justified either with an airtightness test of each building or by the application...

Many ventilation systems do not work efficiently, because their airflow rates have not been correctly adjusted and due to leakages of the ventilation ducts and individual elements. Different measuring devices are used to evaluate and adjust the flow rates, to conduct airtightness tests with differential pressure measurements of ventilation...

Since 2008 in France, all measurement of building envelope airtightness performed according to the EP-regulations have to be performed by a certified operator. This certification includes a yearly follow-up we use to build up a highly detailed database which includes data of about 90,000 airtightness measurements...

In order to achieve the most accurate and repeatable – and therefore comparable – measuring results possible when testing the airtightness of buildings, you need testing devices that are able to measure with a level of accuracy adjusted to the intended purpose. If the users want to guarantee the accuracy of the measuring devices, they can...

Large buildings can not always be tested as a single pressure zone. In Europe, different approaches have been proposed concerning the choice of representative parts of the building (sampling method) and the compliance check in situations, when several parts of the building have to be tested separately. The preliminary Czech standard TNI 73 0330 defines a sampling method, as well as subsequent treatment of results and compliance check procedures for multifamily residential buildings. This contribution reports the results of a trial test of TNI 73 0330 method.